Monday 18 March 2024

Phantasmagoria Magazine Hellraiser Special

I received my contributor's copy of the Phantasmagoria Magazine Hellraiser Special this morning. My only contribution is a critical review of Hellraiser: Revelations (2011), which must surely rank as the worst entry in the whole franchise - at least I definitely hope so! 

This is another beautufully produced issue, over 370 pages of stills, drawings, articles, interviews, reviews, etc., with entries by Trevor Kennedy, Peter Atkins, Adrian Baldwin, Simon Bamford, Clive Barker, Imogen Boorman, Tori Borne, Doug Bradley, David Brilliance, Mike Chinn, Malachy Coney, Con Connolly, Kenneth Cranham, Dean M. Drinkel, Kelly Dunn, Terry Farrell, Christopher Figg, John Gilbert, Christopher Gray, Anthony Hickox, Clare Higgins, Dave Jeffery, Carl R. Jennings, Stephen Jones, Paul Kane, Bob Keen, Ashley Laurence, Ivan McCann, Kim Newman, Barnaby Page, Evangelia Papanikou, Geoff Portass, Owen Quinn, Tony Randel, David A. Riley, Andrew Robinson, Helen Scott, Michael Marshall Smith, Jessica Stevens, Nicholas Vance, Nat Whiston, Cliff Wallace, Allison Weir, Sarah Graven Weir, Barbie Wilde, Ciaran Woods and Christopher Young, plus artists Clive Barker, Jonny Boyle, Randy Broecker, Dave Carson, Les Edwards, Graham Humphreys, Allen Koszowski, Ivan McCann, Jim Pitts, Steph Sciullo and Andrew Smith. 

Only £13.35 from amazon

Sunday 17 March 2024

Day Thirty-Nine of Showcasing books published by Parallel Universe Publications: Swords & Sorceries: Tales of Heroic Fantasy Volume 7

And here we are at day thirty-nine of showcasing books published by Parallel Universe Publications with Swords & Sorceries: Tales of Heroic Fantasy Volume 7, which we published last November.

This is the final showcasing. We have published other books (The Winter Hunt & Other Stories by Steve Lockley and Paul Lewis; England 'B': Ninety Minutes of Hell by Richard Stains (Mark Samuels); Will Anyone Figure That This Is A Repackaged First Collection by Johnny Mains; A Distasteful Horror Story by Johnny Mains; and A Little Light Screaming by Johnny Mains) but all of these have been discontinued and are out of print. 

In 2024 we will be publishing two further volumes of Swords & Sorceries: Tales of Heroic Fantasy plus a trilogy of interlinked sword and sorcery collections by a veteran writer (further information to be issued later).  All five books will be illustrated by Jim Pitts. 


 Swords & Sorceries: Tales of Heroic Fantasy Volume 7 is available as a paperback and ebook (kindle)
 
The stories and authors included are:
 
PITILESS by Stephen Frame
UNHALLOWED TOMBS by Paul Batteiger
SORCERIES IN ASSABARR by Andrew Graham
SCHISM OF SPECTRES by Phil Emery
THE CROSSROADS IN THE FOREST by Gavin Chappell
WISPS by Jason M Waltz
DARK THE SKY, RADIANT THE ROAD by Jalyn Renae Fiske
THE BLOOD OF KHALID AL'TAHIR by Craig Comer
THE DARK KNIGHT OF THE SOUL by eric Ian Steele
PROHAIRESIS by Jon Zaremba
BLADES FOR A BOUNTY by Harry Elliott

The artwork, as always, is by Jim Pitts.

Saturday 16 March 2024

Day Thirty-Eight of Showcasing books published by Parallel Universe Publications: Lucilla - a novella by David A. Riley

 

Day thirty-eight of showcasing books published by Parallel Universe Publications and it's my own Lucilla - a novella, which was originally serialised in Bewildering Stories

 

Lucilla - a novella by David A. Riley is available in hardcover for £13.99, in paperback for £5.50, and in kindle for £2.99. The cover artwork is by Jim Pitts.

It was just another standard day at the Women’s Refuge until the arrival of Lucilla. Then Miranda’s world was never the same again.
Unaccountably influenced by what the girl needed, her job, her friendships, even freedom itself were of no importance. It was not until her niece’s life was at risk that Miranda knew she had to act.
But what could she do against someone who had such a tight, insidious grip on her?

amazon UK £13.99 in hardcover, £5.50 in paperback, £2.99 in kindle

amazon.com $17.19 in hardcover, $6.70 in paperback, $3.70 in kindle

Friday 15 March 2024

Day Thirty-Seven of Showcasing books published by Parallel Universe Publications: Swords & Sorceries: Tales of Heroic Fantasy Volume 6

 




Swords & Sorceries: Tales of Heroic Fantasy Volume 6 is available as a paperback and ebook (kindle)

amazon.com

amazon.co.uk

 The contents are: 

LAND OF THE DEAD by Dev Agarwal
THE HOUSE OF BONES by Carson Ray
THRENODY OF GHOSTS by Phil Emery
WARDARK AND THE SIREN QUEEN by Craig Herbertson
OTRIM by Lyndon Perry
GODS, MEN, AND NEPHILIM by David Dubrow
GOLDEN WITCH OF ADZELGAR by Scott McCloskey
RAIDING THE GRAVEYARD OF LOST SHIPS by Tais Teng
A PLACE OF GHOSTS by Andrew Darlington
THOSE WHO WEAR THEIR WHITE HAIR PROUDLY by Lauren C. Teffeau
TRIALS FOR TREASURE by Harry Elliott
GOD OF THE DREAMING ISLES by Adrian Cole

Thursday 14 March 2024

The Triptych of Hell in the latest issue of Lovecraftiana Magazine

 

It was good to see my story The Triptych of Hell in the latest issue of Lovecraftiana: the Magazine of Eldritch Horror, but it's a shame the picture referred to in the story wasn't able to be included. I was originally asked to write the story to accompany the illustration commissioned by a private buyer for a collaboration between Jim Pitts, Allen Koszowski and Dave Carson, renamed Johann Potts, Albertus Krakowski, and Desmond Cartier in the tale.

Day Thirty-Six of Showcasing books published by Parallel Universe Publications: Childe Rolande by Samantha Lee

 

For day thirty-six of showcasing books published by Parallel Universe Publications, it's Samantha Lee's amazing mix of sword & sorcery and post apocalyptic science fantasy Childe Rolande. 

Parallel Universe Publications is proud to announce that we have published Samantha Lee's groundbreaking post-apocalyptic dark fantasy novel Childe Rolande as a paperback and kindle e-book.

amazon.co.uk

amazon.com

Originally published by Futura Books in 1989, our new version includes an Introduction by the author and a brand-new cover by talented Scottish artist Paul Mudie, who will be familiar to many for the iconic covers he created for the Black Books of Horror. There is also the added bonus of interior chapter headings by award-winning artist Jim Pitts.

Childe Rolande has been optioned by Forlan Films for a proposed TV series and is currently in pre-production development.

Wednesday 13 March 2024

Day Thirty-Five of Showcasing books published by Parallel Universe Publications: A Handful of Zombies: Tales of the Restless Dead

 


Day thirty-five of showcasing books published by Parallel Universe Publications and it's the turn of our first (and only) chapbook: A Handful of Zombies: Tales of the Restless Dead by David A. Riley, illustrated throughout by award-winning artist Jim Pitts.

What was intended as the start of a series of low-priced chapbooks, A Handful of Zombies: Tales of the Restless Dead included four previously published short stories by David A. Riley with illustrations by Jim Pitts.

amazon.co.uk

amazon.com

All four stories in this collection cover a wide range of tropes within the zombie genre. 

Dead Ronnie and I is a tale of high adventure by plane and sea, with an abortive escape by our protagonist to the as yet untainted Isles of Scotland. This was originally published in Sanitarium Magazine No 44 in 2016.

His Pale Blue Eyes is probably the most traditional take of zombie stories today, featuring a young girl’s determined search for her parents during a zombie apocalypse. It’s a story, though, about conditioning and how what someone is taught can radically affect their behaviour. Is the horror in this the shambling undead or the girl herself? See what you think. This first appeared in Bite-Sized Horror edited by Johnny Mains for Obverse Books in 2011.

By contrast Right For You Now, originally published in Weirdbook Zombie Annual No 3 in 2021, harks back to the original concept of the zombie in Voodoo-haunted Haiti, though this tale is set in present-day Britain. It’s a combination of a crime story, revenge, and a man’s obsessive fascination with age-old practices.

Our final tale, Romero’s Children, is more in the way of a science fiction story. The zombies here are certainly the most different. For a start off they are not dead but have been granted near immortality by a drug that swept the world with its promise to stop aging. Alas for those caught up in the frenzied demand to use it, though, its side effects were such that they would have been better off dead. This story appeared in 2010 in The Seventh Black Book of Horror edited by the late Charles Black and was subsequently picked up by American editor Paula Guran for her 2012 anthology Extreme Zombies.

Tuesday 12 March 2024

Phantasmagoria Magazine Hellraiser Special

 

Very pleased to have a review in the latest issue of Phantasmagoria Magazine, which is a Hellraiser Special. Ironically, my piece is on what is almost certainly the worst Hellraiser movie ever made: Hellraiser: Revelations. 

To order it from amazon follow this link: Phantasmagoria Magazine Hellraiser Special

 

Day Thirty-Four of Showcasing books published by Parallel Universe Publications: Swords & Sorceries: Tales of Heroic Fantasy Volume 5

 


Swords & Sorceries: Tales of Heroic Fantasy Volume 5 is available as a paperback and ebook (kindle)
 
  
The contents are: 
The Rotted Land by Charles Gramlich
Skulls for Silver by Harry Elliott
For the Light by Gustavo Bondoni
People of the Lake by Lorenzo D. Lopez
Free Diving for Leviathan Eggs by Tais Teng
The Black Well by Darin Hlavaz
Degg and the Undead by Susan Murrie Macdonald
The Mistress of the Marsh by David Dubrow
Silver and Gold by Earl W. Parrish
Bridge of Sorrows by Dev Agarwal 
Prisoners of Devil Dog City by Adrian Cole

Monday 11 March 2024

Floating Free to be published in September

I just received notification that a longish story of mine called Floating Free has been accepted for publication in September this year.

More details later.


Day Thirty-Three of Showcasing books published by Parallel Universe Publications: Swords & Sorceries: Tales of Heroic Fantasy Volume 4

 

Day Thirty-Three of Showcasing books published by Parallel Universe Publications and it's Swords & Sorceries: Tales of Heroic Fantasy Volume 4, published in June 2022.
 

amazon.com

Swords & Sorceries: Tales of Heroic Fantasy Volume 4 contains eleven tales:

In the Iron Woods by Dev Agarwal
My People Were Fair and Wore Stars in Their Hair by Andrew Darlington
At Sea by Geoff Hart
The Flesh of Man by Frank Sawielijew
City at the Mouth of Chaos by Adrian Cole
In the Belly of the Beast by Edward Ahern
The Tracks of the Pi Nereske by Wendy Nikel
Slaves of the Monolith by Paul D. Batteiger
The Green Wood by David Dubrow
Demonic by Phil Emery
The Whips of Malmac by H. R. Laurence

Sunday 10 March 2024

Day Thirty-Two of Showcasing books published by Parallel Universe Publications: Swords & Sorceries: Tales of Heroic Fantasy Volume 3

 


Day thirty-two of showcasing books published by Parallel Universe Publications and it's the turn of Swords & Sorceries: Tales of Heroic Fantasy Volume 3, published in November 2021.

amazon.co.uk

amazon.com

Contents are:
Sorcerous Vengeance by Lorenzo D. Lopez 
Seal Snatchers of Jorsaleem by Tais Teng
When the Gods Send You Rats by Chadwick Ginther 
Mother's Bones by Carson Ray 
In the Lair of the Snake-Witch by Darin Hlavaz
The Rains of Barofonn by Mike Chinn
Wardark by Craig Herbertson
The Foliage by Rab Foster 
In the Lair of the Moonmen by Jon Hansen 
Sailing on the Thieves' Tide by Adrian Cole
 
The covers and interior artwork are again by Jim Pitts.
The book is 270 pages and will cost £11.99 (£2.99 kindle).

Saturday 9 March 2024

Day Thirty-One of Showcasing books published by Parallel Universe Publications: A Grim God's Revenge: Dark Tales of Fantasy & Horror

 


Day thirty-one of showcasing books published by Parallel Universe Publications and it's A Grim God's Revenge: Dark Tales of Fantasy & Horror by David A. Riley, published in 2021.

amazon.co.uk

amazon.com

A Grim God's Revenge by David A. Riley includes fourteen dark tales of fantasy and horror ranging from 1971 to 2020.

Dead Ronnie and I was first published in Sanitarium issue 44, 2016
Corpse-Maker was first published in Weird Window issue 2, 1971
The Urn was first published in Whispers issue 1, 1972
Gwargens was first published in Beyond issue 3, 1995
Retribution was first published in Peeping Tom issue 3, 1991
The Bequest was first published in Dark Horizons, 2008
They Pissed on My Sofa was first published in Malicious Deviance, 2011
Old Grudge Ender was first published in The Screaming Book of Horror, 2012
A Girl, a Toad and a Cask was first published in The Unspoken, 2013
Scrap was first published in Dark Visions 1, 2013
Lem was first published in The Eleventh Black Book of Horror, 2015
A Grim God’s Revenge was first published in Mythic issue 4, 2017
Grudge End Cloggers was first published in Scare Me, 2020
Hanuman was first published in Phantasmagoria issue 16, 2020

Friday 8 March 2024

Day Thirty of Showcasing books published by Parallel Universe Publications: Swords & Sorceries: Tales of Heroic Fantasy Volume 2

 


Hot on the heels of Swords & Sorceries: Tales of Heroic Fantasy Volume 1, our book being showcased today is Volume 2.

Swords & Sorceries: Tales of Heroic Fantasy Volume 2 is available as a paperback and ebook.
The paperback is £11.99; the kindle version is £2.99
 
The contents of Volume 2 are:
Introduction by David A. Riley
The Essence of Dust by Mike Chinn
Highjacking the Lord of Light by Tais Teng
Out in the Wildlands by Martin Owton
Zale and Zedril by Susan Murrie Macdonald
The Amulet and the Shadow by Steve Dilks
Antediluvia: Seasons of the World by Andrew Darlington
A Thousand Words for Death by Pedro Iniguez
Stone Snake by Dev Agarwal
Seven Thrones by Phil Emery
The Eater of Gods by Adrian Cole 

Illustrations by Jim Pitts. 

Amazon.co.uk £11.99 paperback/£2.99 kindle

Amazon.com $16.97 paperback/$4.23 kindle

Parallel Universe Publications